Saving Marty by Paul Griffin

When Lorenzo befriends a runt pig, it becomes his most trusted companion.  But pigs have a way of growing, and when Marty gets to be 250 lbs, his affectionate nudges become hazardous.  There are other complications in Lorenzo's life as well.  He is trying to find out what really happened to his Dad who never came back from Afghanistan, and he is struggling through a summer without his best friend, Paloma Lee.  With everything else going on, Lorenzo desperately wants to save Marty from the butcher block, but at what cost?

This is kind of like a mash up of Charlotte's Web and Babe.  Griffin does a good job showing Lorenzo as a boy desperately in need of a friend, but also portrays his mother's concerns for finances and safety with a sympathetic hand. Lorenzo and his mother have a complex and authentic (if not always perfect) relationship.  Lorenzo's and Paloma's friendship is also very sweet.  The audio book has some nice music included (Paloma is a singer who longs for Nashville fame) This is a feel-good book with a some  heart-ache mixed in, great for a reader who is craving something a little sentimental. (2017, 195 p.)